Champion Smarty Jones returns to Kentucky for stud duties

Champion and dual classic winner Smarty Jones is returning to Central Kentucky and will stand the 2016 season at historic Calumet Farm, the operation announced Friday. The son of Elusive Quality will stand for an advertised fee of $7,500.

Bred and raced by Roy and Pat Chapman’s Someday Farm, Smarty Jones has stood the past two seasons at Northview Stallion Station’s Pennsylvania Division and commanded an advertised fee of $4,000 in 2015. Someday Farm still retains a controlling interest in the 14-year-old stallion as he joins a Calumet roster that also features 2013 Preakness Stakes winner Oxbow and champions Point Given and English Channel.

"It’s humbling to know that Smarty Jones will occupy the same barn and walk the same hallowed grounds as so many great horses before him," Pat Chapman said. "Someday Farm is happy that our Kentucky Derby Champion is returning to the Bluegrass."

Someday Farm is happy that our Kentucky Derby Champion is returning to the Bluegrass.

Pat Chapman, Someday Farm owner

Smarty Jones rose to national prominence in 2004 when he captured the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes under the guidance of trainer John Servis. The chestnut colt had his Triple Crown bid derailed in deep stretch of the Belmont Stakes when he finished second to Birdstone in the 11/2-miles classic, his lone loss in nine career starts.

The Belmont Stakes would also represent the final career start for Smarty Jones. He was began his stud career at Three Chimneys Farm in 2005 with a $100,000 fee but after five years or marginal success, Pat Chapman decided to move her homebred stallion back to Pennsylvania, where he was born and raised, to take up stallion duties at Ghost Ridge Farm. Two years later, when Ghost Ridge Farm announced it would be taking a step back from standing stallions, Smarty Jones, along with Ghost Ridge stablemates Jump Start and E-Dubai, were transferred to Northview Stallion Station’s Pennsylvania division.

While Smarty Jones shuttled several times to Uruguay, there are no plans for the horse to shuttle for Southern Hemisphere duties in the future.

Smarty Jones is the sire of 23 stakes/graded stakes winners, including Grade I winner Centralinteligence and champions Better Life and Smart D N A. He currently ranks third among Pennsylvania stallions and fourth among all stallions in the MidAtlantic region. He was represented as recently as November 7th by 2012 La Jolla Handicap winner Old Time Hockey, who won the $100,000 Millions Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Smarty Jones will be both the ninth Kentucky Derby winner and the ninth Preakness Stakes winner to call Calumet’s hallowed grounds home.

The deal will see Smarty Jones arrive at Calumet Farm in late November. After allowing him time to settle in, Smarty Jones will be available to breeders for inspection by appointment.